Coach Rick Barnes is trying to take the Tennessee basketball front to new frontiers.
The Vols have never been past the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament, but entering play this weekend they are the highest ranked SEC team in the AP Top 25 at No. 8. They’re 18-6 overall, 11-1 at home and just one game out of first place in the conference.
Tennessee is led by Wooden Award front-runner Dalton Knecht and has seven regular season games left, starting with a home game against woeful Vanderbilt on Saturday, Feb. 17, at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Some of the top online sportbooks in America are high on the Vols. With March Madness coming soon, we take a quick look at the odds on the Vols to win the SEC title and the national championship. Before you place any wagers on Tennessee, check out the offers available from the best sports betting bonuses.
Tennessee Odds for SEC Title
The SEC is incredibly balanced this season, with Alabama owning a half-game lead over South Carolina and Auburn and the Vols a full game back.
Tennessee’s loss last week to Texas A&M was a huge blow in the standings and in the national polls. FanDuel Sportsbook lists the Vols at +240 to win the SEC this season behind the two schools from Alabama.
The good news for Vols fans is the conference still runs through Knoxville. After taking care of Vandy and Missouri, the Vols enter a five-game conference stretch that will make their season. First, they get a shot at revenge on Texas A&M at home (there’s no way A&M shoots the ball that well again), then host Auburn. There’s a showdown in Tuscaloosa with Alabama on March 2, then a road trip to face the Gamecocks. The last regular season SEC game is against Kentucky at home. Tennessee hung 103 points on the Wildcats two weeks ago.
The SEC looks like a five-team race, and a five- or six-bid league for the NCAA Tournament.
Tennessee Odds for National Title
March Madness has been the scene of so much heartbreak for Tennessee fans over the years. Last season, the fourth-seeded Vols were dumped by upstart Florida Atlantic in the East Regional Semifinal (Sweet 16). Adding salt in the wound was the fact that the that the Owls went all the way to the Final Four.
This Tennessee team has the look of a national title contender. It has one of the best guards in the nation in Knecht, 6-foot-6 Northern Colorado transfer who shoots over 40% from behind the arc, and big man Jonas Aidoo has made a huge leap in his game.
In his latest NCAA Tournament projection, Joe Lunardi has the Vols as a No. 2 seed, but in the same region as No. 1 overall seed Purdue. The Vols lost a tough one to Zach Edey and Purdue back in November by four points.
The Vols are getting some real love at Tennessee sportsbooks for the national title. FanDuel has the Vols +1500 to win it all and +350 to make the Final Four. BetMGM Sportsbook has the Vols sixth on the board to win the national title at +1400.
Prediction on The Vols
Look for the SEC regular season title to come down to the last week. It’s all right there for the Vols: Beat Auburn and Alabama and they could win the title outright, but you know the likelihood is a tie atop the league of two, maybe three, teams. That last game with Kentucky could prove to be a tough one. The Wildcats consider an SEC title their birthright.
But then it’s on to the SEC Tournament. The Vols were stunned by Missouri last year in the SEC Tournament, after winning the tournament in 2022, but they’ll have a considerable home-court advantage in Nashville. Don’t be surprised if it comes down to Tennessee/Kentucky or Tennessee/Alabama in the finals of the SEC Tournament.
When the NCAA Tournament seeds come out, look for the Vols to get a low seed and at least reach the Sweet 16. March has been so cruel to Tennessee basketball over the years, it’s about time some of the breaks went their way.
